As the first week of June started, so did classes in all public schools and some private schools. The worst that we anticipated would happen did happen in some areas - lost children, crying kindergarten students, and the uproar of those who were not accommodated in the late enrollment queue. These are perennial problems that haven’t been addressed by parents and teachers. The responsibility of the parent is to make sure their children get to class on time, not give some dumb excuse to make them late at the start of the school year.

While the students had their flag-raising ceremony, I couldn't help but be baffled at the ratio of students to teachers in the school. There were just too many students and each has a different character and personality. I can't imagine handling one large class for a whole day and not feel burned out after.

I was part of a class of 54 in the Cebu Normal University during my freshmen year in high school. However, the integrated setup with college student teachers functioning as our teachers eased the load of our professors. It is already hard to learn with a number of people beside you, how much more a class of 50 students.

Then there are emergency classes where students are in shifts day in and out because of the lack of classrooms. The time of the subjects are compressed to a minimum so other students can use the rooms. Everything is rushed and shortened; I'm not so sure what else they can learn.

The Department of Education has been pushed to its limits. They are bound by the many laws when it comes to constructing classrooms and hiring teachers. Our education sector is very poor. Although they have set up a program where no student should be left behind, it would sometimes be easier for a child not to go school.

This would spare the family from expenses like daily allowances, projects, and others. While it is true that there is no collection in the schools and no uniforms are required, there is still a big amount of money to be spent when one goes to school. The prices today of basic commodities are too high, let alone the basic school supplies.

The budget laid out by the government isn't enough. Schools still have to beg to alumni and other connections to give them equipment and money for repairs and other things.

Sometimes I wish our education system was like those of countries like Japan, the US, and Canada. Their schools look so dignified and have enough rooms, plus instruments and sporting equipment. There is no need to beg, the government gives it to them. Students are given a lot of opportunities in and out of the school, and they are exposed to different scenarios within the community. I don't know if we can ever reach this, maybe when we have a leader whose priority is the youth.

China has rejected as “unwelcome” the call of the United Kingdom, France and Germany on the South China Sea claimants to respect the arbitration ruling of 2016 and the rules-based framework laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Philippines and China effectively consigned to limbo on Thursday the UNCLOS-based arbitral ruling in 2016 on their maritime disputes, and moved to explore instead a wider Code of Conduct for resolving conflicts in the South China Sea.

It would be a betrayal of public trust should the Duterte administration accept China’s rejection of the landmark ruling that invalidated its sweeping claim over the South China Sea, parts of which is the West Philippine Sea, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said Saturday.